Agriculture remains one of the sectors most exposed to decent work deficits worldwide. Ensuring safe and fair working conditions across agri-food sector value chains continues to be a major challenge, particularly in labour-intensive activities such as crop production, horticulture, and livestock. Situations involving labour rights deficits, informality, and inadequate working conditions are still observed in both developed and developing countries. These challenges have significant social implications, especially for the most vulnerable groups, including migrant workers, women, youth and seasonal labourers. Limited access to social protection, insufficient training, exposure to occupational safety and health risks, and the prevalence of informal or unstable employment relationships are structural issues that persist in agriculture, often compounded by weak enforcement of labour legislation.
In this context, CIHEAM Zaragoza with the collaboration and support of the Masar al’an programme of the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the Spanish National Institute for Safety and Health at Work (INSST), and the Horizon Europe project SafeHabitus, offers an advanced course focused on exploring occupational safety and health risks, labour market dynamics, and inclusive policy responses. Through a mix of expert lectures, case studies, and interactive group work, the programme emphasises the development of concrete, country-specific strategies to promote fair working conditions, enhance labour protection systems, and support socially sustainable agricultural agri-food systems.
The course will strengthen participants’ understanding of the key dimensions of decent employment in agriculture, combining international labour standards with practical tools and policy approaches and will be a unique opportunity to meet and work with professionals from all over the world and share hands-on experience on decent work and labour rights in agriculture.
